OTTAWA — Parole board decisions should reign supreme, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said this week following revelations that a second-degree murderer was granted an escorted absence from prison by a warden despite a negative parole board decision.
“Individuals deemed ineligible for parole should not be given conditional release that is tantamount to parole through the back door,” he said in an email statement.
“I’ve asked (Correctional Service of Canada) Commissioner Don Head for options to ensure that decisions of the Parole Board of Canada are given full effect, both in letter and in spirit.”
He also commended backbencher Conservative Corneliu Chisu for taking on the issue in the form of a private member’s bill aimed at closing the loophole that’s allowed wardens to make such decisions in matters involving inmates serving life sentences without considering previous decisions of the parole board.
It raises questions about whether the government will take over the bill, which has yet to be introduced, or simply lend its support to the legislation which would hasten its passage.
Toews’ comments come following a Postmedia News report this week that a police killer was granted an escorted temporary absence (ETA) from prison even though she was denied the same privilege by the parole board a year-and-a-half earlier.
The so-called ETA was expanded earlier this month by Fraser Valley Institution for Women Warden Carol-Ann Reynen when Elaine Rose Cece was transferred to a halfway house as part of a 60-day, “open-ended” work release that’s been described as the equivalent of day parole.
Cece, along with her partner Mary Barbara Taylor, was convicted in 1999 of murdering Toronto Det.-Const. William Hancox.
The authority for wardens to make such decisions lies in the “Commissioner’s Directive on Temporary Absences” which, among others, applies to so-called “lifers” who are within three years of full parole eligibility.
Chisu’s private member’s bill, which is “99 per cent ready to go,” seeks to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to harmonize decisions made by the warden and decisions made by the parole board in cases of first- or second-degree murder.
“Basically the legislation is clarifying when the warden should be able to make these decisions which are related to basically the safety of our society,” Chisu said, adding the issue was brought to his attention six months ago by a constituent, Hancox’s widow Kim Hancox-Spencer.
“The role of the parole board and the legislation which is providing the powers of the warden, they need to be in synchronization.”
While parole board decisions are transparent, warden’s decisions are private and arbitrary, he said, adding wardens shouldn’t be allowed to overrule a parole board decision, particularly in cases of murder.
It’s not clear how many other “lifers” received these kinds of temporary absences despite negative parole board rulings. CSC spokeswoman Sara Parkes, however, noted “public safety and security is paramount” when such decisions are made.
Short-term ETAs are generally granted for the purposes of medical appointments, community service, rehabilitative purposes, family contact and for compassionate reasons such as attending a funeral.
According to government figures, the number of offenders granted escorted and unescorted temporary absences has decreased between 2001 and 2011. The number of offenders granted work releases also decreased by nearly 57 per cent from 618 in 2001-2002.
— With files from Christie Blatchford

I cover justice, immigration and public safety issues as part of the Postmedia News politics team. I also keep tabs on what the official Opposition — the NDP — is up to in the House of Commons.
Before... read more coming here I spent several years in Montreal and Toronto with The Canadian Press covering provincial politics and major crime and court stories. I also helped cover the war in Afghanistan from inside and outside the wire.
I previously worked for the Ottawa Sun chasing crime stories and following convicts through the court system.
I love the unpredictability of my job and believe the opportunity to help document history as it unfolds is an awesome privilege that never ceases to give me chills.
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